Unintended
by SecondAlternateLieutenant
Summary: Mako wants to talk about the future, but by the time Korra's done with her day, she's sick of being responsible and thinking about the future. Rated T for implied sexy times!


They say that opposites attract, and Mako definitely agreed with the sentiment when it came to his relationship with Korra, but on occasion it was frustrating to talk to her.

Especially when she got in a playful mood when he was trying to be serious with her. Sometimes he liked that she could make light of things, and other times it annoyed him to death and made him have to focus entirely on the situation because she simply wouldn't. Korra didn't like being all doom and gloom, seriousness all of the time, but he, unfortunately, had enough life experiences to have that mindset more than he would've liked.

To be fair, though, Korra had matured since she was seventeen, and while she was still a lighthearted woman with a lot of spirit, she did understand her responsibility to the city and to the world as a whole as their Avatar, and he respected her for it. With all of that time she had to be serious , she let herself relax with him, and he appreciated that she was always comfortable being herself with him.

But sometimes when he wanted to seriously talk to her about something, she'd go off on another tangent or attempt to distract him. Both generally worked when she used herself as the distraction, but other times he'd lie awake after she'd fallen asleep and wish they'd been able to talk.

He had good reasons to want to talk. The biggest reason was stuffed in his oldest pair of –clean- socks in the back of his dresser where Korra would never dare to go. He'd tried to figure out what Korra would want, attempted to ask her and got no real answer a half dozen times and ended up attempting to just figure it out himself.

And had floundered around before giving in and asking Pema. Tenzin's wife had been understanding, she knew Korra well enough that she could give him a little suggestion before making a careful purchase. It had been sitting in his socks for months now because his girlfriend refused to talk to him about serious topics like their future together. Especially the 'm' word.

Marriage.

To Mako, it meant living with her, seeing her every morning and every night possible. Sure he came home late a lot, but Bolin wasn't as nice to look at when he could have had his beautiful girlfriend. And while he and Korra had indulged themselves in some of the comforts marriage would give them, specifically sex, but if they were married and lived together they would be able to sleep together, actually sleep wrapped up together and have alone time. Her parents had expressly forbidden her to live with him before they were married, a decision seconded by Tenzin and enforced by him and Bolin of all people.

There would be no interruptions from Bolin coming home or the airbender kids flying around like on Air Temple Island. No one but them would be able to get into their apartment, and they'd have hours of uninterrupted time together. He could cook for her in peace; he could wrap her up in his arms and watch a fire die out while they listened to the radio. He wanted all of that.

But Korra didn't even want to talk about it. Every time he attempted to talk to her about getting married or, heaven forbid, their future together, she'd get either annoyed and walk away or try and seduce him instead. Needless to say the latter tended to work more often then Mako would have liked to admit to anyone. Or himself.

So one cold night when he'd managed to get Bolin to go somewhere for the evening, he had suspicions but no confirmation, that there was a woman involved, and Korra was coming over for dinner for a few hours, he was determined to talk to her. Sex or not, he would talk.

"Mako!" Korra called his name happily as she came into his apartment. "God, it's freezing out there." She shuddered as she shrugged off her coat and hung it up before rubbing her hands together and joining him in the kitchen. "It's warm in here though." She grinned and leaned her lips up for a kiss that he readily gave. "Hi."

"Hi." Mako grinned back. "The soup is almost done; it's nice and warm for this cold day." He snuck a kiss onto her nose before she pulled away, grinning at him as she rubbed her hands together to warm them. "That cold?"

"Bitter cold."

"You're a firebender." Mako laughed, finding the oddity that he had to remind his beautiful, amazing, girlfriend that she was, in fact, the Avatar.

"How do I always forget that?" Korra laughed and bent a small flame in her hand and smiled at it. "Warm." She smiled and sighed.

"And how is this cold, you grew up in the South Pole?" Mako lifted his brows at her.

"The wind is worse here, I think." Korra shrugged. "And I was used to it, the summers here make me forget how to handle cold." She extinguished the flame and pulled off her gloves. "I'm starving though, that smells amazing."

"It's your favorite." Mako smiled at her and stirred the huge pot of vegetables, noodles, and meat that Korra adored. His mother had made it for him and Bo when they were kids, now he was making it for his beautiful girlfriend, who he hoped would be his wife. "Hey Korra?"

"Yeah?" She looked over from where she was adjusting her clothes, having removed her pelt and gloves, leaving her in just her shirt and pants, her boots were in the process of coming off.

"Do you think about the future?"

"Only every day." She shrugged, not taking what he was saying to heart. "Why?"

"Well do you think about us? What we'll be doing in five years?"

"We'll be together." Korra frowned at him. "Don't you want to be?" Her defenses had flown up.

"Of course I do." Mako frowned back at her while his other hand stirred their dinner. "But you never mention it, so how would I know what you want?" He felt his own defenses rumble in his chest as he tried not to snap back at her.

"God, Mako, can't we just relax for an evening?"

"We do, we always do, and I love it." Mako put the spoon down. "I love spending time with you, but you won't talk to me."

"I talk to you!" Korra scowled and crossed her arms, facing him. "We talk as much as we can, Mako, I'm the Avatar, I'm busy."

"This has nothing to do with you being the Avatar!" Mako scowled at her. "You're using that as an excuse. I'm sick of you avoiding this conversation because you're tired. I get tired at work too, and I get it, but I want to talk to you about these things." He faced her, attempting to keep his cool.

"Talk about what, Mako." Korra sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What is so possibly important that you need to talk to me so seriously?"

"I want to marry you!" Mako burst out, his expression almost angry as he shouted the words at her. Korra froze, and the scowl on her face melted off.

"What?" She was nearly breathless as she attempted the one word. Mako stared at her; angry with himself for bursting it out like that, but feeling a little relieved it was finally out there.

"I want to marry you." He repeated it, calmer this time and reached over to shut off the soup before moving toward her. "I love you, Korra, I hate living without you, and I want to." He stepped closer and held one arm out tentatively to see if she'd gravitate toward him. Korra was still but didn't flinch as he moved so his arm was wrapped around her waist. "Will you say something?" Mako pleaded as she was quiet for far longer than he would have liked.

"I don't… I don't know." Korra stuttered uneasily. "Marry you?" She stared up at him as he got her to rest her hands against his chest, too stunned to protest him moving her even a little.

"Please?" He grinned. "Move in together, I'll make you dinner, sleep in the same bed every night, see each other more than we do now." Mako pressed his forehead to hers. "I didn't mean to shout it at you."

"Live together." Those two words were all she repeated, her eyes closed and not looking at his while he looked at her, trying to get an answer to the hastily blurted out question. He hadn't meant to ask her; at least he thought he'd just asked her to marry him, it wasn't entirely clear, and also a blur of nervous energy and excitement. "We could live together." She repeated and looked up at him, her blue eyes dilated wide with desire.

"All the time." Mako felt her press against him and hope grew rapidly. "No one else, just you and me."

"_Yes_." She breathed out and let her eyes flicker up to his face. "I want to live with you."

"You'll marry me?" He felt odd, like this wasn't really happening.

"I want to marry you." Korra articulated and let out a surprisingly feminine giggle at the thought. "I want to marry you, oh Mako." She flung her arms unceremoniously around his neck and pressed her mouth to his.

The joy hadn't escaped him either, and the feeling of her in his arms wasn't a foreign one. Mako held her close and kissed her with everything he had, his tongue sliding between her lips and invading her mouth while she worked back with as much fervor as he was. Their hands grasped at each other, ignoring anything other than each other while she backed him toward his bedroom. Korra knew his apartment well enough to avoid crashing into things while they made their way to his bed and he had the final push to get her onto it before he pulled completely away.

"What?" Korra blinked at him as he darted for his dresser. "Seriously? This better be good…" He cut her off and presented a pair of socks. He ripped them away and pulled out a velvet box.

"I bought this a while ago." He breathed, his heart racing from the emotions welling up in his chest. Married. Korra wanted to get _married_. Mako opened the small box and presented her with the ring. "I know the Southern Water Tribe has its own tradition, but that stone was from my mother's ring." He shifted awkwardly, hoping she'd like it as she examined the ring in her fingers. "I loved looking at it as a kid."

"I love it." Korra beamed up at him. "I absolutely love it, thank you." She murmured and let him take the box back to slid the silver band onto her finger with such a good smile. Korra looked at his face while he beamed at the ring he'd had made especially from her from a ring he'd seen and loved as a child. He'd kept it safe through their years on the streets, didn't sell it probably when they spent nights starving, all so she could have it someday. "I love you." The tears streaming down her face were happy, and Mako seemed to understand that as he smiled back at her, pressing his mouth to hers again.

"I love you so much, Korra." He murmured and leaned up to press her gently into the mattress. Their pace had slowed considerably with the sentimental element incorporated, but neither minded as they moved together, removing their clothes slowly, not that either had too much left on by then.

Mako worshipped every inch of her and she pressed back and tried to make him feel as damn good as he was making her feel. Korra gripped him tightly and came completely undone in his arms, murmuring how much she loved him as she wrapped herself tightly around him. He kissed the curve of her neck as he gripped her tightly, settling them together in his bed, her dozing peacefully in his arms.

This is what he wanted. This all night, not when he'd have to wake her up in a little while to make sure she got back to Air Temple Island before morning. She didn't have a curfew any longer, and hadn't since her teen years, but staying with him over night was still not acceptable. But what he had now was filled with promise. There was a ring, shining on her finger, signifying that she was going to marry him. Even if he hadn't intended to propose to her that night, he was excited that she'd accepted, that it had worked out, and they'd be getting married.

That was a hell of a better turnout.


End file.
